This week has been given the Seminar on ‘Sustainable valorization of by-products and waste minimization in the olive industry‘ organized by the University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) of the University of Jaen and funded by the International Olive Council (IOC).
This seminar arises from the need to disseminate and demonstrate new approaches, technologies, methods and innovative tools to facilitate the management of byproducts generated in the olive subsector. The main objective of this seminar is to provide technicians from member countries of the International Olive Council with knowledge based on scientific evidence on the problems related to these byproducts and the most innovative and environmentally friendly techniques, in order to minimize their environmental risks. In addition, students will have an in-depth knowledge of current policies and the ability to monitor legislation and environmental assessment of the olive oil production chain.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Rector of the University of Jaen, Nicolás Ruiz Reyes, the Deputy Executive Director of the IOC, Abderraouf Laajimi, and the director of the seminar, Sebastián Sánchez Villasclaras. First of all, the Rector highlighted the impact and international projection that it means for the university, bringing together almost 70 on-site and online students from all over the world. He stated that “This seminar deals with a highly topical issue: making agriculture more sustainable from an economic and, above all, environmental perspective”. He also emphasized that this course is part of the University of Jaén’s strategy to promote training and research related to olive groves and quality olive oils. In this sense, he states that “it is crucial to disseminate and apply new approaches and technologies that allow olive byproducts to be managed more efficiently, contributing to a more competitive and sustainable sector”.
For his part, the deputy executive director of the IOC stressed the importance of this type of training, which enables the exchange of knowledge and the improvement the skills of the technicians from the member countries, especially in the valorization of olive byproducts. He added that “this type of initiative is vital for making progress in sustainability, particularly in the Mediterranean basin, where the effects of climate change are already being felt”.
Finally, Sebastián Sánchez, director of the seminar and head of INUO’s Process Engineering Unit, said that this seminar has aroused considerable interest, with the participation of 65 experts and professionals from the olive subsector who have been selected from 160 applications from 26 countries, both IOC members and non-members. Among the participants were representatives from countries such as Spain, Greece, Morocco, Portugal, Turkey, Argentina, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Algeria, among others.
In conclusion, they stressed that this seminar has a fundamental role for the olive subsector, not only in the economy, but also in the fight against the current situation of olive groves characterized by erosion and desertification, where environmental protection is essential. In this sense, the management of by-products and their reuse for energy purposes, such as biomass, or the production of fertilizers or bioactive compounds for the food industry, could be some of the possible solutions faced by olive oil producers.
